Indiana University has automated its software security patch management in a bid to help protect potentially sensitive student records and reduce network vulnerabilities. . . .
The academic institution rolled out Shavlik Technologies' HFNetChkPro automated patch management offering on more than 20,000 computer workstations used by faculty and staff members on eight campuses.

Because personal and institutional information is stored on many of these clients, officials recognized the importance of securing and protecting the data.

Tom Davis, IT security officer at Indiana University, said one of the main advantages of the enhanced system came from its ability to allow critical security patches to be distributed and applied to machines from a central location.

"System administrators responsible for applying security patches have to react quickly to ensure that the vulnerabilities addressed by the patches are corrected before they can be exploited," Davis said.